This year's top Halloween costume might be a raincoat.

Tropical storm Sandy, which formed in the Caribbean and was hovering over the Bahamas on the morning of October 25, slashed through Jamaica and Cuba with winds topping 105 miles per hour, strong enough to be labeled a Category 2 hurricane.

Although still not a lock to impact the Northeast and Maine in particular, the storm's path has it making landfall with the U.S. at the beginning of next week.

James Brown, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist in Gray, Maine, said his office was tracking Sandy's movements very closely.

“At this point the official tracking puts it pretty close to New Jersey at 8 a.m. Tuesday and then after that it's going to be heavily dependent on the front that's coming across the country,” Brown said. “After that, its path and time frame are uncertain.”

Brown said the model being used to track the storm has been consistent.

“Of course, that could all change over the next 24, 36 and 48 hours,” he said. “We'll be refining it as time goes on.”

The front that is moving across the country is a cold front that is expected to draw Sandy in towards the coast of New Jersey.

“Those two will interact with one-another,” Brown said. “It's not uncommon for cold fronts to absorb tropical storms as they come up into the northern latitudes.”

The Boothbay Register will be following Sandy's path and updating the website www.boothbayregister.com as more information becomes available.

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.